Football Practice Report: Aug. 4

Venue: Outdoor practice fields/Autzen Stadium
Format: Shells

The Ducks went into Autzen Stadium and under the lights Sunday night, midway through the third practice of preseason camp. It felt like a grand stage, with freshly laid, vibrant new turf covering the field, and the team answered with an entertaining, intense performance.

This wasn't officially a scrimmage, but it had all the feel of one. Pads were popping, big plays were made, players were barking back and forth and the energy was crackling.

On the first play of 11-on-11 drills in the stadium, CJ Verdell busted through the line of scrimmage and into the second level on a run play. On the next snap, La'Mar Winston Jr. sniffed out a pass play, picked it off right at the line and took it to the house for a pick-six.

Moments later, Justin Herbert found his trusted target Jacob Breeland deep over the middle of the field, and the offense had answered with a touchdown of its own.

"I think it definitely energized everybody," Winston said of practicing in Autzen. "That gave us the juice, that gave us the momentum, and it carried throughout the rest of practice."

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As much as anyone, Herbert stepped up on the big stage. A few reps after the long pass to Breeland, he had another to Brenden Schooler. In between, Tyler Shough hit Josh Delgado deep over the middle of the field for another long gain. "Bombs over Baghdad," a frustrated defensive player called it.

"Something felt different," Breeland said afterward. "I don't know what it was; obviously the turf is new. But it felt really good to be back in here. And the surface felt amazing; it felt really good cutting and moving around on it. So I'm just excited."

The energetic practice capped the first three-day session of preseason camp. The challenge for the Ducks will be to sustain their energy through an off day, and through the dog days of August that are to come.

Winston, for one, didn't seem concerned.

"I mean, I think it's just the beginning," he said. "You know, I mean, it's been a long time coming and I feel like a lot of our emotion is just coming from our passion for the game. So I think we're just getting started."

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Other highlights: During 7-on-7 in the stadium, Thomas Graham Jr. broke up a pass that deflected to Jevon Holland, who made a diving interception. … Freshman defensive end Brandon Dorlus had a tackle for loss in one 11-on-11 period and a sack in the next one. … During a special teams period, freshman cornerback DJ James had a scoop-and-score when the holder on a placekick couldn't handle the snap. … During earlier position drills on the outdoor fields, Mycah Pittman had another highlight-reel grab, running down field, turning back to find the ball and rotating 180 degrees to make the catch when the ball arrived over his other shoulder. Also in that period, Holland cracked a wideout who had just received a pass, popping the pads to set the tone for what became a very physical, aggressive practice.

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Other observations: All-time UO great Haloti Ngata attended practice, after spending the day around the facilities with his family and speaking to the team. … Due to the late start, there was no post-practice media availability, so none of the usual interview videos to post here. … The Ducks are off from practice Monday, and will resume camp Tuesday.